


Flickering Lights and Peculiar Solace

by RedlaSunShowers029



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, GT, Macro/Micro, Pred!Lapis, Prey!Steven, Protective vore, Shrinking, Vore, safe vore, tiny!steven, willing vore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 14:30:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4880395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedlaSunShowers029/pseuds/RedlaSunShowers029
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When unidentified Homeworld technology shrinks down Steven to a few inches in height, how will Lapis find a way to protect him? </p>
<p>**DISCLAIMER: I have yet to actually watch Steven Universe, and all my information comes from tumblr and short clips sent to me by friends. This said, portrayals may be a little out of character.**</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flickering Lights and Peculiar Solace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Trenchcoat_Kid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trenchcoat_Kid/gifts).



> My half of a trade with MonochromeFox, who's a dear buddy of mine and a true honor to get to trade fics.

The night sky had faded to a deep violet , twinkling with a thousand lights. Things were quiet in Beach City for the most part- perfect for settling along the beach and hearing the quiet murmurs drift along the shoreline. The beach itself was quiet, except for the crashing of waves and the occasional shriek of seagulls, and in this way the small blue gem that sat there enjoyed it greatly.

It seemed so rare to get out and away from it all, from her group of comrades who clearly wouldn't understand in the same way. Earth wasn't anything like Homeworld, though in a sense it was calming all the same. She liked the feeling of the foam and sand beneath her toes, and the whistling of the sea all around her. It was a place she felt strangely connected to, and the general serenity of the sea allowed her to collect her thoughts- her thoughts of longing for the home she'd left behind. But it wasn't so bad being alone for a while, just watching the stars shift in the sky...

"Lapis!" 

The gem tensed upon hearing she wasn't alone, watery wings sprouting from her back and flapping in distress; although she calmed down well enough upon recognition of the voice's owner, and her wings returned to the gem on her back. "Steven, what are you doing out this late?"

As the child came running closer, she could see some form of green gadget underneath his chubby arm. It wasn't something she was familiar with, although it wasn't something he should be touching, either; Homeworld machinery could be dangerous. 

"I think it belongs to Peridot- I found it by the temple and I wanted to give it back!" The boy called out, a sort of admirable determination ringing in his voice.

The way he ran forward only made the gem nervous, spreading her wings in case she needed to fly over. "Steven, be careful with that!"

Her words came a little late. The gadget seemed to slip from his arms, and the boy tripped over it by the time he maintained only a few feet of distance from her, falling to the ground on top of it. Then a flash of light came from it, and by the time it cleared, Steven was gone.

Or... Not exactly gone. The blue gem took a moment or two to scour the beach for any possible signs of him, though none could be found. Then, finally, she felt a small ticklish sensation on the back of her hand; removing it from the sand, Lapis discovered what had happened to the boy after all.

"Oh, Steven!" Without taking another moment, she scooped up the minuscule boy, who had somehow shrunk to a height of roughly two inches. In this way, that adoration came rushing up even stronger: so tiny, so innocent, so fragile... And with this caring nature, her desire to protect him only rose higher than ever before. "Why on earth were you trying to bring that here?!"

"I thought Peridot might need it back," Steven mumbled, settling down in the palm of Lapis's hand rather guiltily. "I didn't expect for it to be dangerous or anything..."

"Don't worry, I know that," Lapis sighed, carefully settling a finger on his head and stroking his back assuringly. "You've just got to be a little more careful next time." For a few moments, it seemed she could simply sit like this, her fingers delicately petting him until his worries seemed to wash away. He seemed to relax into her gentle touches, taking some of the edge off their sudden predicament.

Then came a disturbing rumble in the distance, like someone making a great fuss over something. Judging by the tone, it seemed that Jasper wasn't all that far away... No, he wasn't safe from Homeworld's wrath, and even less at his current size. But how could she keep him away...?

There wasn't an easy explanation for what should be done. Lapis knew well enough that with the small boy at this size, it was hard to keep him protected, especially if her comrades came along to find her sitting like this with him in her palms... The blue gem shuddered at the very thought. No, she wouldn't let that happen to him. "Listen, Steven-" 

The boy sat up some, looking into the her eyes for a minute. "Yeah, Lapis? Is something wrong?" His own eyebrows furrowed, feeling the worry emanate from the gem.

"I'm just not sure it'd be safe for you to be seen by any of my teammates, though I can't think of how to hide you..." At this point, Lapis was beyond concerned- surely Jasper would be back at any moment to find out where she'd gotten off to- things were looking pretty bad. Though maybe there was something she just wasn't thinking about... 

The realization was terrifying. Her mouth... She'd seen some of the other gems trying something out like that, scooping up companions and keeping them away from the outside world as best they could. It seemed possible to keep people safe like this, as gems didn't need to eat, although it seemed somewhat dangerous. But what else could she try? _I'll just see if he's alright with it first..._ Carefully, she allowed her hand to rise a little with the boy on top, until it stood at the entrance of her jaws.

"Lapis? What are you-?" Steven fell silent as she spread her lips a bit more, enough to see inside her cavernous maw a little bit. It wasn't quite fear that took hold of him next- no, just a sort of wonder and amazement. Was the gem really doing what he thought she was, or had his imagination simply hit too far?

"We don't have many options. I think it's probably best that I keep you somewhere a little less... External for now, until I can get you back to your own companions." There was nothing relieving by the anxiety in her eyes, though it was clear there had been some thought through it. Steven could feel the hand underneath him shift, along with small breezes from where her breath seeped out. Her tone kept the same worry as she spoke once more: "Of course, only if you're okay with it-"

"Well, you're right- I doubt that Jasper would be happy to see me. I'm willing to try it if you think it would do any good..." He knew well that gems, as a species, didn't need to eat to survive, so it'd be safer than being eaten by any of his human friends like Connie, Lars or Sadie. He couldn't help but trust Lapis in either case; after all, she'd done all she could to defend him even despite the fact the Homeworld Gems fell against their rules, so why would this be any different? Besides, if he was honest with himself, he was curious how it'd even feel to be eaten by another gem- and surely it'd yield a new kind of experience. "Go ahead and open up."

Lapis was somewhat shocked by his willingness, though not unrelieved by it: at least she didn't have to worry about frightening the poor child. There wasn't a moment to lose- she could hear Jasper's voice somewhere not so far off, and surely then she'd be uncovered. It was merely agitating to imagine doing such a thing to Steven- he was so kindhearted and brave, yet ever so fragile all the same at this size. But no, anything was better than having Jasper find him like this. Cautiously, she extended her cobalt tongue, giving Steven a sort of confirming lick to give him a sense of what it'd feel like.

Admittedly, it felt a little strange to have thick strands of aqua saliva running down his sleeves, along with the slimy muscle rubbing against his tiny hands. It didn't feel bad, though- merely startling. Once the suddenness had faded, the boy pressed his palms against the gem's tongue, watching as Lapis finally opened her mouth enough to give him a quick look inside.

The color of her maw from within was similar to the color of her skin, only somewhat darker. Everywhere he looked, strands of aqua spit hung down in ropes from the roof of her mouth to her spread-out tongue. But further back stood the dark blue lining of her deep, fleshy tunnel of a throat. It was a bit hard to take it all in during such a short period of time, though worse things would happen yet if he weren't hasty. He looked on for but another moment before carefully clambering up onto Lapis's tongue and sliding back into her mouth. Another moment passed before the blue gem slid the rest of her tongue in, jaws closing to shut him carefully in darkness.

It was difficult to see now, and all the more difficult to stand up with the gem's tongue pushing him from one side to another- though gently, as not to harm him or get him anywhere close to her teeth. A normal person would've been terrified, being rolled this way and that and tasted like a mere snack in a way. Though trust is a powerful thing when faith in another is just as strong, and so the gem boy wasn't afraid in the slightest. It was to protect him, after all.

It didn't take all too long for the gem to figure out enough was enough, though- she didn't have enough time to let him simply explore there for too long. Besides, with the delightfully sweet taste he had, it was difficult not to drool a bit... Better to send him on his way before that got too overwhelming. Jasper was getting ever nearer all the while, so with a gentle swipe of her tongue, Lapis edged the boy to the center of her mouth, threw her head back and swallowed.

The commotion was quite new to Steven, feeling his chubby form slip backwards towards the gaping throat behind him. His hands didn't scrabble at the flesh or try to escape it, no- he simply allowed it to carry him back down towards that tunnel. He watched as the white of her teeth vanished gradually. The tongue beneath him pressed itself against the roof of her mouth and directed him downwards, and with the combined efforts of the constricting muscles and the slick saliva, he slid along smoothly into the abyss.

It only took a single gulp to send him down. The entire sensation was peculiar, feeling the boy's shrunken form drift along the pull of her throat muscles and producing a decent yet not painful bulge on the outside. A nervous finger traced it all the way down past her collarbone, until he slipped past her collarbone and out of external sight.

It felt queer being compressed against those muscles, feeling them slip past him as peristalsis guided him to his destination. Even still he didn't move a muscle, except to watch as the light finally faded from view and he was truly swallowed up in darkness. But not for long. In only a few moments, he could see a space open up beneath him, lined with some sort of shimmering light. In that moment, any worries the boy had dissolved in overpowering wonder and awe as he was deposited in the gem's cavernous stomach.

Lapis felt the small nudge somewhere deep inside her chest, waiting with baited breath for any sort of indication of fear within. It didn't seem natural for anyone to be so calm and assured, even the boy, so surely, surely something would happen yet... "Steven, are you alright?" she called out nervously, placing a hand over her stomach and waiting for a response. The one she received, however, was far different than anything she had been expecting:

"Hey, cool- it's glowing in here!"

It was hard for the boy to be afraid as the smooth stomach walls around him put on a sort of light show around him. Aside from the walls being plush and very comfortable to lie against (Steven had propped himself up against one to look up at the glimmer), they also let off a sort of dark blue glow- not too notable or bright, though just a relaxing bluish hue that'd change from one color to the next; first cobalt, then aqua, and turquoise. The intensity of the glow would change from time to time, from pale twinkling to a sort of nightlight that would illuminate all around to the point Steven could make out every portion and fold of the soft walls around him. On occasion the walls would contract inwards slightly, pressing him up against the folds of flesh. "And it's like your stomach is giving me a hug!" the boy exclaimed, nuzzling up to the plush surface.

At least then it was apparent he wasn't fearful in the slightest, but quite the opposite: he seemed all too content to roam around that space inside her chest time in and time out, and could remain captivated by whatever light show was taking place so very deep within. It was difficult to explain a why or how for the reason he felt this way, but it was reassuring all the same. She must be doing something right, in any case. Though she was even more relieved (and amazed) as an alien feeling took place in that very spot embedded deep under her fingertips...

Steven began to carefully sink his hands into the velvety walls, careful not to harm any of the tissues lining them. He gave a couple small shoves here and there, though mostly guided his small, chubby hands into them calmly, rubbing them with small circular strokes. It was all he could do to really thank the gem for her protection- he just hoped she took it the right way...

Lapis gave a small sigh of relief as soon as she recognized the source of the feeling. If he was able to massage her stomach walls from within, she couldn't possibly assume he was in any form of agony, be it physically or mentally. He was going to be okay, and those little rubs assured it for her. Though she couldn't help but give a few rubs back.

"That tickles!" Steven chuckled in response, gently prodding the walls where he felt Lapis's touch from outside. It was weird to be so comfortable in the place he was in overall, but in the way he trusted her, Lapis could've well been one of his crystal gem caretakers. She was kind of like another mom in a sense, who adored him in her own special way and wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. So it was only natural for him to curl up in the twinkling ambiance of that almost nurturing place within and feel a little drowsy... He couldn't suppress a yawn that escaped his lips once the gem had ceased her strokes. "Lapis, do you mind if I rest in here for a bit? I'm getting kind of tired..."

The gem blinked some: that was right- it was some time after dusk, and surely by now any human would feel more than a bit sleepy. She suspected that, with Jasper's grumbling getting ever nearer, he'd be in there for some time until she had a chance to release him again. Resting would probably do him some good in the long run, and in a sense it felt nice for her as well, to know he was calm enough to consider such a thing. "I don't mind, Steven," she responded quietly, "just try not to talk too much when Jasper shows up- I don't want her knowing you're around."

"Will do," Steven yawned, rolling over onto his own stomach and snuggling down into the deep blue walls. "But I just wanted to let you know... Thank you for protecting me."

The gemstone couldn't help but smile at his appreciative mumbling. "Of course, Steven." 

Lapis listened for a little while longer, though all other conversation had dwindled down into nothingness, and the gem was left in silence for a spell. Yes, either Jasper or Peridot was destined to find her at some point, but there was something serene about those few moments of heavenly peace. She could protect the boy like this, in that strange, unorthodox way, but in the end it didn't feel strange at all. It only felt natural to keep him from whatever wicked fates all others on Homeworld seemed to wish on him, sheltered from the ones who wished to steal away his gem's light.

_Don't worry, Steven- I'll make sure to keep you safe..._


End file.
